"Kids Who Don't Play Video Games Are At Risk"

[Bigfoot]

This is an interesting clip where Adam Sessler from G4TV talks with authors Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson of the book Grand Theft Childhood about their research. It's interesting because they found that not only did kids show risk of getting in trouble at school/home/etc. after playing violent/mature games, but also kids show risk from not playing games at all.

http://www.g4tv.com/video_detail.aspx?video_key=21264

[Neo Samus]

So in Theory, they are contradicing themselves???

[TheSnowStorm]

Wow, how truly ironic. They debate how children who play violent vidoe games are at risk for violence, and yet, children who don't play vidoe games tends to be even more violent.

[Neonlare]

I think they meant if children only play Mature or Violent games, and not play anything else.

[Xenon Odyssey]

I think they meant if children only play Mature or Violent games, and not play anything else.

Right. And they never said it led them to be killers; just that they have a greater chance of getting in trouble in school, at home, etc.

[JJT]

man, its almost like people can be violent without any influence from the media. weird.

[cobaltstarfire]

It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside that I'm right and all my teachers and TA's in this field are wrong.

That'll show them for asserting something so strongly with little evidence.

It's nice that this book seems to consider that maybe the parents have more than a little control over this stuff, rather than going. AHH GAMES ARE EBIL SAVE THE CHILDREN!

[Vivi22]

So in Theory, they are contradicing themselves???

No, because they make the distinction that kids who play violent video games a certain amount are more at risk for getting in trouble, but most don't get in trouble. Video games aren't the causal factor. Which means their research actually supports something that I, and I'm sure others have suspected for a long time; that video games don't cause people to be violent, but violent games do attract people with violent tendencies. I may read this book actually, since they seem to be some of the few people out there who have actually been concerned with how people actually react to violent games.